In addition to his appearance in character roles with the San Francisco Ballet from 1942-1949, Russell Hartley also worked as a costumer for the SFB, notably designing 143 costumes for the first US production of the Nutcracker, staged by the SFB in 1944. Russell Hartley also wrote regular columns for periodicals such as Dance Magazine, After Dark Magazine, Opera and Concert, and The Trumpeteer. Hartley founded the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum (originally called the San Francisco Dance Archives) with his private collection in the 1940's, and oversaw its development until his death. SFPALM